Edgemar Restaurant + Lounge

"Edgemar is a restaurant in Santa Monica that tries to do many things and excels at some of them. Let’s start with the positives: the warehouse-esque space on Main Street is pretty. There are tropical plants everywhere, a sleek bar in the back, and enough exposed wooden rafters to feel like you’re in a fancy seaside barn. By 7pm, the room is bumping. Synth tracks blast as big groups pile into circular booths and boozy dates re-up on negronis. A few rounds and you’ll think you’re at The Waterfront, Winston House, or other clubby Westside spots (the kind less commonly found in Santa Monica). But where Edgemar’s fun falters a bit is the food. The menu has over two dozen dishes and touches more continents than a Semester at Sea cruise. There are duck tacos, adobo collard greens, chili wontons, fish and chips, and a cheeseburger for good measure. We’re fine with a trip around the world, but the results tend to be better in concept than in practice. The hamachi comes with a nice cilantro salad, but the cuts of fish are clunky and chewy. The butter chicken is dry and slightly sour. And despite having interesting garnishes like toasted rice powder and burnt mezcal, the crying tiger prawns taste like plain old grilled shrimp. Nothing at Edgemar is outright bad—it’s just elevated clubstaurant food. Which is fine for an elevated clubstaurant, but probably not a destination dinner. Food Rundown photo credit: Andrea D'Agosto Cocktails The cocktails at Edgemar are very good and cast a large geographical net, just like the food. You’ll spot a French Boiler Maker, Guava Mezcal Daisy, and a Bird Of Paradise. Unlike the food, this is a round-the-world trip worth taking. We particularly love the refreshing, lemon-y Vodka Lychee Fix. photo credit: Andrea D'Agosto Shrimp Toast Our favorite dish. Is it a touch oily? Sure, but so are a lot of good shrimp toasts. Sitting at the bar with a cocktail and this sesame-crusted beauty is the best way to experience this place. photo credit: Brant Cox Hamachi We would get the herby-y cilantro salad on top again if it was its own entree. Unfortunately, it comes over sinewy, poorly cut slices of hamachi we will not be re-ordering. photo credit: Brant Cox Crying Tiger Prawns Toasted rice powder, chili oil, and burnt mezcal—there are a lot of exciting-sounding ingredients on this dish, but zero payoff. What arrives tastes like a plate of grilled shrimp you'd find anywhere. Not terrible, but slightly underwhelming. Butter Chicken This is not a good dish. The chicken is overcooked with no spice whatsoever and the tomato-y sauce is more sour than savory-sweet." - Brant Cox